UPDATE - India, Afghanistan condemn attack in Pakistan, dismiss Islamabad's claims of involvement

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; UPDATES WITH AFGHAN STATEMENT, MORE DETAILS

By Ahmad Adil and Saadet Gokce

NEW DELHI / ISTANBUL (AA) - India and Afghanistan on Friday condemned the suicide attack in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, and dismissed claims of involvement.

“The bombing at an Islamabad mosque earlier today is condemnable, and India condoles the loss of life it has caused,” the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, following the attack that left at least 31 dead and 169 injured in Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra, a Shia Muslim worship site in the Shehzad Town area, during Friday prayers.

Mosharraf Zaidi, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif's spokesman for foreign media, had said the attack "is only the latest in a series of murderous terrorist attacks orchestrated by India."

"India's terrorist proxies will neither slow down economic recovery, nor divide Pakistani hearts, nor undermine Pakistan's growing diplomatic capital," Zaidi said on US social media company X.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, for his part, wrote on X that security guards challenged the attacker, who, in response, opened fire and blew himself up in the last row of worshippers. He also alleged India and Afghanistan’s involvement in the attack.

However, New Delhi rejected the allegations. “India rejects any and every such allegation, which is as baseless as it is pointless,” said the Indian ministry. “It is unfortunate… Pakistan should choose to delude itself by blaming others."

Kabul also condemned the suicide attack, and the Afghan Defense Ministry denied any involvement.

"The government of Afghanistan is committed to Islamic values, and it never permits the killing or harming of innocents for political objectives, nor does it support the perpetrators of such illegal acts," the ministry said on X.